Mejor nueva caridad

Today’s Awesome Crochet Blog Award is for the best new charity that accepts donations from crocheters. Originally I was going to go with the same Christmas Day award theme as last year, which was just the best charity crochet in general, but then I realized that there are just way too many amazing organizations that accept crocheted items and way too many crafters who do terrific work in crocheting for charity. I would love to recognize them all! Since I can’t, I thought I’d focus on a charity new to the scene in 2012 worth taking a look at.

Sobre el ganador

There is a good chance that you already know the nameVickie Howell. She is a knit and crochet designer, the person behind the Sheep(os.) línea de hilados, an author, a craft show TV personality … basically just an all-around awesome woman in the crochet and knitting world. This year she launched theProyecto de puntada púrpura, a web-based charitable organization designed to raise awareness about childhood epilepsy while giving comfort to kids with the condition through donations of handmade goods.

3 Las razones del ganado ganador

Even just among the charities that are new this year there were a lot of great options but I ultimately had to pick Vickie and The Purple Stitch Project for this award because:

This is a unique cause. There are a lot of charity organizations around the same major causes: cancer awareness, homelessness, disadvantaged youth. Ahora, don’t take that the wrong way because these are all major social issues and I think every organization, large or small, that accepts crocheted items to help those causes is worthy of attention. But I also think it’s important to have niche organizations that raise awareness and attention towards specific issues that people don’t necessarily hear about all of the time. Purple Stitch Project is about children with epilepsy, something that I personally didn’t know a lot about until I became familiar with this project.

The cause is close to Vickie’s heart but she doesn’t milk it in a dramatic way. Vickie’s youngest son was diagnosed with epilepsy last year and that’s why she came to realize how important it is to raise awareness about this issue. Many organizations start with a personal experience related to the cause. Por desgracia, sometimes the organization or project becomes so much about the personal story that it overshadows the project in a way. Vickie shares her story, we can relate, but we don’t feel sorry for her or her family because she shares in a positive, approachable and informational manner. Esto me gusta.

The organization is well-planned and well-marketed. Good causes are wonderful but the truth of the matter is that it takes some good business sense to make a non-profit organization actually work. The Purple Stitch Project has clear goals (the core three are outlined on the organization’s home page). It is clear what you can do to donate. It is well-promoted so that people get involved. Vickie has clearly used her marketing and entrepreneurial experience to make this charity take off.